EV maker Nio said on Tuesday that its battery swap stations have been approved to help stabilize Sweden’s electricity grid.
In a new statement, the EV maker said that the Swedish electricity transmission system operator, Svenska kraftnät, has approved its battery swap stations as part of the country’s frequency regulation system.
“[…] The stations not only enable quick battery swaps but also help stabilize the power grid with renewable energy,” Nio said. “In this way, we contribute to a more resilient grid, more efficient use of solar and wind power, and real social benefits.”
Nio expanded to Sweden in late 2022 and currently has eight stations across the country.
The company has partnered with SC Nordic, which provides grid balancing services, to meet requirements for Sweden’s Frequency Control Reserve for Disturbance (FCR-D) system.
According to Nio, the green light marks “the start of a new era where EV infrastructure becomes an active societal resource.”
Through its Power Grid Service, the company promotes a circular use of energy, which taps into the stored power of idle batteries at its swap stations, using them as active resources within the broader energy grid.
The swap stations “can adjust their electricity consumption in just a few seconds, store surplus energy when supply is high, and reduce demand when consumption increases,” the brand stated.
Battery Swap Stations
As of February 2024, nearly 600 Nio swap stations across 14 Chinese provinces were participating in grid load regulation, offering a combined capacity of around 300,000 kilowatts.
Since then, the number of battery swap stations in China has sharply increased, but an updated figure on the participating stations is unknown.
In Europe, the brand introduced its battery swap stations in Norway in early 2022 and has since expanded to several other countries.
Last September, the company announced plans to launch its first bi-directional battery swap station on the continent, capable of feeding electricity back into the grid.
According to the Head of Power Kajsa Ivansson Sognefur, the Dutch and Danish stations would be focusing on grid stabilization.
In Denmark, the country’s sole Nio Power Swap station provided frequency regulation services since February 2024, according to Fei Shen, the former Senior Vice President of Nio Power and current head of the company’s Onvo brand.
However, the station was recently closed.
Battery Swap in Europe
According to the statement, Nio currently has “eight Power stations in Sweden and 60 in Europe.”
This is one station less than a couple of months ago, when the company announced the opening of its 61st station in Europe — indicating that one station has been closed since then.
This station was located in Slagelse, Denmark — it was the only battery swap station in the Nordic country.
It marks the first time Nio has closed a battery swap station anywhere in Europe since its debut on the continent in late 2021.
By November 2023, the company had doubled its European network to 30 stations and added another 20 within the following eight months, reaching 50 by July 2024.
Since then, expansion has slowed, with only 11 stations added.
Sales in Sweden
Nio sold nine vehicles in the Swedish market in October.
All the vehicles registered were the ET5 model: either the sedan or the station wagon variant.
The figures tumbled from 23 vehicles in September and a record of 29 units in August.
The company continues to focus on selling remaining inventory from its 2022 and 2023 model years, supported by several incentives launched in recent months.
According to recent data from Mobility Sweden, however, the Chinese EV maker sold one EL8 and one ET5 between November 1 and 11.
According to founder and CEO William Li last week, Nio has sold 5,000 vehicles in Europe since its debut in 2021.
